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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I like the storyline of this book, but for some reason it just didn't leave me with the thrill some other YA books have lately.
I felt the characters were actually written very realistically, especially Frankie's parents. Kind of a blind indifference parents sometimes get when dealing with their kids proves to be too much...
I just didn't feel the connection somehow, especially after having just read [b:If I Stay|4374400|If I Stay|Gayle Forman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1221604709s/4374400.jpg|4422413] which moved me to tears even thought the parents in that story were a bit over the top.
Maybe it's just me?
I felt the characters were actually written very realistically, especially Frankie's parents. Kind of a blind indifference parents sometimes get when dealing with their kids proves to be too much...
I just didn't feel the connection somehow, especially after having just read [b:If I Stay|4374400|If I Stay|Gayle Forman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1221604709s/4374400.jpg|4422413] which moved me to tears even thought the parents in that story were a bit over the top.
Maybe it's just me?
Fifteen-year-old Anna Reiley had her greatest, most secret wish fulfilled on her birthday when her best-friend-who’s-a-boy Matt kissed her. Although Anna is ecstatic that something is finally happening between her and the boy she’s loved forever, it’s also a complicated situation: Matt is Anna’s best friend Frankie’s older brother, and the three of them are a trio of best friends with a lot of history. Matt asks Anna to keep their new relationship a secret until he can tell Frankie himself, and she reluctantly agrees. When tragedy strikes and Matt dies, Anna is stuck with a secret that she feels obligated to keep from her broken-hearted best friend.
A year later, the two girls are heading off to Zanzibar Beach with Frankie’s parents for a three-week vacation. Frankie is determined to help Anna lose the albatross around her neck (a.k.a. her virginity), and so she cooks up a plan for them to meet 20 boys in hopes that at least one of them will be the vehicle for said virginity loss. Anna isn’t so keen on the plan, but she feels trapped by her secret. What she doesn’t plan on is finding a boy that she might maybe could like a little bit, and if she can like someone else, does that mean she’s forgetting about Matt?
Sarah Ockler’s novel is so good that it makes me wish her publisher had chosen a better title. It’s not even that the title is bad, because it isn’t, but it evokes images of a breezy, fluffy summer read. Anna and Frankie’s journey is not breezy, and it’s certainly not fluffly. The book is the kind that sucks you in and doesn’t let go until you’ve finished the book and have been reduced to a breathless, blubbering mess. It is that good.
Anna narrates the story with an intensely personal style and provides keen observations in a straightforward way. The book provides one of the most honest portrayals of grief, friendship and loss this reader has ever seen. Ockler’s prose is beautiful, her descriptions of the ocean are pitch-perfect, and the book is full of beautiful sentences that beg to be turned into quotes.
One could argue that there is nothing more heartbreaking than first love barely realized before it’s cut short by tragedy, and that’s exactly what’s at work in this story. Matt and Anna have only a few pages together at the beginning of the novel, but Ockler’s talented enough to structure this so that the reader is immediately connected and invested. Even though the ghost of Matt lives on in both of the girls, the loss that is felt is almost palpable.
When Matt dies, the reader immediately understands the predicament that Anna finds herself in. Should she protect Frankie from what Matt never got to tell her, or should she try to explain how she feels about him? What’s more, is there even anything to tell? Because Anna is working so hard to protect the fragile Frankie, she’s never able to fully deal with her own grief.
Anna’s narration provides the reader with a full array of the complexities of her emotions. Her secret is eating her up inside, but she keeps it in, choosing instead to write one-sided letters to Matt in her journal. Anna’s dilemma when she meets cute boy Sam on vacation is clear as well: if she can have feelings for Sam, does that mean she forgets about Matt? Is there a statute of limitations when it comes to cheating on a ghost?
It’s not just the character of Anna that is so wonderful in this story, though. Frankie is also full of depth and flaws and is yet sympathetic. The drastic changes she undergoes after the death of her brother present themselves in her behavior and physical appearance, as well as her tendency to boss Anna around. But it is also visible in her inability to say what she means or wants to say—she literally cannot say what she means because she is forever making up and misusing words. It is these kinds of details that make the story so real.
One final detail worth mentioning is how Ockler handles the summer romance of Anna and Sam. Sam is a sweet, cute boy who is kind to Anna. Their slow-building attraction and tender interactions with each other are the epitome of a summer romance, and the fact that they both know that their relationship ends with Anna’s vacation lends a realness to the story that many other YA novels often choose to avoid.
Ockler’s book is one that moved me so profoundly that I ordered my own copy as soon as I finished it. I intend to recommend this book to nearly everyone I know. I cannot wait to see what Ockler has in store for readers next.
A year later, the two girls are heading off to Zanzibar Beach with Frankie’s parents for a three-week vacation. Frankie is determined to help Anna lose the albatross around her neck (a.k.a. her virginity), and so she cooks up a plan for them to meet 20 boys in hopes that at least one of them will be the vehicle for said virginity loss. Anna isn’t so keen on the plan, but she feels trapped by her secret. What she doesn’t plan on is finding a boy that she might maybe could like a little bit, and if she can like someone else, does that mean she’s forgetting about Matt?
Sarah Ockler’s novel is so good that it makes me wish her publisher had chosen a better title. It’s not even that the title is bad, because it isn’t, but it evokes images of a breezy, fluffy summer read. Anna and Frankie’s journey is not breezy, and it’s certainly not fluffly. The book is the kind that sucks you in and doesn’t let go until you’ve finished the book and have been reduced to a breathless, blubbering mess. It is that good.
Anna narrates the story with an intensely personal style and provides keen observations in a straightforward way. The book provides one of the most honest portrayals of grief, friendship and loss this reader has ever seen. Ockler’s prose is beautiful, her descriptions of the ocean are pitch-perfect, and the book is full of beautiful sentences that beg to be turned into quotes.
One could argue that there is nothing more heartbreaking than first love barely realized before it’s cut short by tragedy, and that’s exactly what’s at work in this story. Matt and Anna have only a few pages together at the beginning of the novel, but Ockler’s talented enough to structure this so that the reader is immediately connected and invested. Even though the ghost of Matt lives on in both of the girls, the loss that is felt is almost palpable.
When Matt dies, the reader immediately understands the predicament that Anna finds herself in. Should she protect Frankie from what Matt never got to tell her, or should she try to explain how she feels about him? What’s more, is there even anything to tell? Because Anna is working so hard to protect the fragile Frankie, she’s never able to fully deal with her own grief.
Anna’s narration provides the reader with a full array of the complexities of her emotions. Her secret is eating her up inside, but she keeps it in, choosing instead to write one-sided letters to Matt in her journal. Anna’s dilemma when she meets cute boy Sam on vacation is clear as well: if she can have feelings for Sam, does that mean she forgets about Matt? Is there a statute of limitations when it comes to cheating on a ghost?
It’s not just the character of Anna that is so wonderful in this story, though. Frankie is also full of depth and flaws and is yet sympathetic. The drastic changes she undergoes after the death of her brother present themselves in her behavior and physical appearance, as well as her tendency to boss Anna around. But it is also visible in her inability to say what she means or wants to say—she literally cannot say what she means because she is forever making up and misusing words. It is these kinds of details that make the story so real.
One final detail worth mentioning is how Ockler handles the summer romance of Anna and Sam. Sam is a sweet, cute boy who is kind to Anna. Their slow-building attraction and tender interactions with each other are the epitome of a summer romance, and the fact that they both know that their relationship ends with Anna’s vacation lends a realness to the story that many other YA novels often choose to avoid.
Ockler’s book is one that moved me so profoundly that I ordered my own copy as soon as I finished it. I intend to recommend this book to nearly everyone I know. I cannot wait to see what Ockler has in store for readers next.
This was a rather simple teen book with an interesting backstory.
The goal of meeting twenty guys a day was fun in theory but in reality felt extremely forced, both to Anna and to me as the reader. In the beginning, there wasn't enough attention placed on Matt, but in the end there was too much. I felt like the balance was really hard to achieve realistically and I feel like it fell flat. There was also really barely ten guys, and in that regard I didn't get what I was expecting from this book.
The parts I enjoyed most were the parts about Matt and Anna in the past. The recollections of their time together was incredibly sweet, and details like them both keeping frosting stained clothes as mementos were very touching.
A year after the fact, dealing with Matt's death is challenging to Anna and Frankie, but I found myself unable to connect with them or really relate. They both needed to grow up a lot, especially in regards to events at the end.
Anna's relationship with Sam, one of the twenty guys, also had me gritting my teeth and feeling uncomfortable. I'm not really sure why she was interested him or in Matt because I barely got to know them at all.
The premise of this book was strong, but I really just didn't love the writing.
The goal of meeting twenty guys a day was fun in theory but in reality felt extremely forced, both to Anna and to me as the reader. In the beginning, there wasn't enough attention placed on Matt, but in the end there was too much. I felt like the balance was really hard to achieve realistically and I feel like it fell flat. There was also really barely ten guys, and in that regard I didn't get what I was expecting from this book.
The parts I enjoyed most were the parts about Matt and Anna in the past. The recollections of their time together was incredibly sweet, and details like them both keeping frosting stained clothes as mementos were very touching.
A year after the fact, dealing with Matt's death is challenging to Anna and Frankie, but I found myself unable to connect with them or really relate. They both needed to grow up a lot, especially in regards to events at the end.
Anna's relationship with Sam, one of the twenty guys, also had me gritting my teeth and feeling uncomfortable. I'm not really sure why she was interested him or in Matt because I barely got to know them at all.
The premise of this book was strong, but I really just didn't love the writing.
Had me crying by the 19th page. Beuatifully written, it transport you to the story of two grieving girls and how they handle the aftershock. Emotional, perfect.
Probably one of the saddest and heartbreaking book I have ever read...except for Heartbreak River. That was sad too.
Anyway, what I loved about Twenty Boy Summer was the writing style. It was written in a fresh manner that evoked so many different emotions in me. I loved how Sarah managed to convey the sadness that Anna felt, the grief of the family and the undying love that Matt and Anna had.
The plot was amazing. I couldn't find any real flaws in the plot throughout the entire novel so you can imagine how awesome this book is. It's so intense and heartbreaking.
The character, Anna, has a very intense and she was written in a very in-depth manner. The only thing that kind of irked me was the fact that she kept dwelling on the things Matt said so it felt as if she was repeating herself over and over again...but that's really the only thing that I have against Twenty Boy Summer.
And the guys that Anna meets are all different - smart, kind, hot, pervy and old, all different types of guys. Will Anna ever find the courage to move on with her life? Will she learn to fall in love again?
Overall, Twenty Boy Summer was amazing and I highly recommend it. :)
Anyway, what I loved about Twenty Boy Summer was the writing style. It was written in a fresh manner that evoked so many different emotions in me. I loved how Sarah managed to convey the sadness that Anna felt, the grief of the family and the undying love that Matt and Anna had.
The plot was amazing. I couldn't find any real flaws in the plot throughout the entire novel so you can imagine how awesome this book is. It's so intense and heartbreaking.
The character, Anna, has a very intense and she was written in a very in-depth manner. The only thing that kind of irked me was the fact that she kept dwelling on the things Matt said so it felt as if she was repeating herself over and over again...but that's really the only thing that I have against Twenty Boy Summer.
And the guys that Anna meets are all different - smart, kind, hot, pervy and old, all different types of guys. Will Anna ever find the courage to move on with her life? Will she learn to fall in love again?
Overall, Twenty Boy Summer was amazing and I highly recommend it. :)
During the summer, I recommended TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler to my sister because I’d seen it around the blogosphere. She likes the summer romance young adult novels – ones that I’m not too fond of. But since my dystopian hangover – caused by reading too many dystopian novels, most recently Fuse by Julianna Baggott – I thought it was about time to take a break and read something different. I took a break from the dreary New York weather and vacationed in the California summer with protagonist, Anna in TWENTY BOY SUMMER.
Anna is secretly in love with her best friend’s brother, Matt, who also happened to be her other best friend. When Matt finally kisses her on her 15th birthday, Anna is ecstatic. But just before Anna and Matt can tell his sister about their relationship, Matt dies from a heart defect. One year later, Anna travels with Frankie to Zanzibar Bay, California with her family in hopes to overcome their grief.
My main frustration in TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler is this twenty boy contest that the book revolves around. I know that Frankie is dealing with the loss of her brother by basically rebelling with booze and boys. But I really don’t like it. I guess I just never saw the appeal of summer romances and excessive flirting. It made me constantly want to roll my eyes.
But I admit, Sarah Ockler has a knack for kissing scenes.
If it weren’t for the fact that TWENTY BOY SUMMER is border-line tear-jerker, then I probably would not have enjoyed this book. When Ockler gets to the more serious parts of the novel, she does not back down. I found myself getting choked up whenever the girls finally confront their grief.
What I wish TWENTY BOY SUMMER focused more on was the relationship between Aunt Jayne and Anna. Aunt Jayne seems to have a better understanding of Anna than anyone else in the novel. It’s a shame that we only get a short glimpse of how Aunt Jayne sees her. In general, I wish that the parents weren’t as oblivious as they were. While they tried to spend quality time with Frankie and Anna, I feel like they were still always avoiding the topic of Matt.
However, I do think that Ockler made a great point towards the end of the novel that at the end of the day, everyone has to deal with their grief in their own way. Everyone is a little different when it comes to dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.
Anna is secretly in love with her best friend’s brother, Matt, who also happened to be her other best friend. When Matt finally kisses her on her 15th birthday, Anna is ecstatic. But just before Anna and Matt can tell his sister about their relationship, Matt dies from a heart defect. One year later, Anna travels with Frankie to Zanzibar Bay, California with her family in hopes to overcome their grief.
My main frustration in TWENTY BOY SUMMER by Sarah Ockler is this twenty boy contest that the book revolves around. I know that Frankie is dealing with the loss of her brother by basically rebelling with booze and boys. But I really don’t like it. I guess I just never saw the appeal of summer romances and excessive flirting. It made me constantly want to roll my eyes.
But I admit, Sarah Ockler has a knack for kissing scenes.
If it weren’t for the fact that TWENTY BOY SUMMER is border-line tear-jerker, then I probably would not have enjoyed this book. When Ockler gets to the more serious parts of the novel, she does not back down. I found myself getting choked up whenever the girls finally confront their grief.
What I wish TWENTY BOY SUMMER focused more on was the relationship between Aunt Jayne and Anna. Aunt Jayne seems to have a better understanding of Anna than anyone else in the novel. It’s a shame that we only get a short glimpse of how Aunt Jayne sees her. In general, I wish that the parents weren’t as oblivious as they were. While they tried to spend quality time with Frankie and Anna, I feel like they were still always avoiding the topic of Matt.
However, I do think that Ockler made a great point towards the end of the novel that at the end of the day, everyone has to deal with their grief in their own way. Everyone is a little different when it comes to dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.
First, let me thank the man whose name I no longer remember for speaking out about how this and Speak are softcore pornography. I hadn’t heard of this book before and without his completely idiotic statements, I may never have read this book. And that would’ve been too bad, because I loved it.
Anna has been best friends with Frankie and her brother, Matt, for her entire life. On her fifteenth birthday, however, things change. Matt kisses her and they agree to let him tell Frankie when their family goes on vacation in a month. But before he gets the chance, he dies. A year later, Anna goes on vacation with Frankie and her family. She’s still grief-stricken (they’re ALL still grief-stricken) but it’s somehow worse because Anna still hasn’t told anyone. She’s decided that the best way to care for her best friend is to keep this secret forever. Since Matt died, Frankie has become a little wild. She’s obsessed with how she looks and she’s lost her virginity. She sets a goal for her and Anna: meet a boy every day so they can each have a summer fling.
This book was so great. On one level, it’s a fun, fluffy summer read, one where you can almost hear your friends laughing and can feel the sun and smell the ocean and suntan lotion. And on the other? It’s one of the most realistic portrayals of grief I’ve ever read, when I would read a sentence and just suck in a breath because it’s SO TRUE and I didn’t know anyone else thought that way.
I loved reading about Anna and Frankie and their fierce, awesome friendship. This book is perfect as it is and doesn’t need a sequel, but I would really like to read about them in college on spring break. (I’m just saying.)
Anna has been best friends with Frankie and her brother, Matt, for her entire life. On her fifteenth birthday, however, things change. Matt kisses her and they agree to let him tell Frankie when their family goes on vacation in a month. But before he gets the chance, he dies. A year later, Anna goes on vacation with Frankie and her family. She’s still grief-stricken (they’re ALL still grief-stricken) but it’s somehow worse because Anna still hasn’t told anyone. She’s decided that the best way to care for her best friend is to keep this secret forever. Since Matt died, Frankie has become a little wild. She’s obsessed with how she looks and she’s lost her virginity. She sets a goal for her and Anna: meet a boy every day so they can each have a summer fling.
This book was so great. On one level, it’s a fun, fluffy summer read, one where you can almost hear your friends laughing and can feel the sun and smell the ocean and suntan lotion. And on the other? It’s one of the most realistic portrayals of grief I’ve ever read, when I would read a sentence and just suck in a breath because it’s SO TRUE and I didn’t know anyone else thought that way.
I loved reading about Anna and Frankie and their fierce, awesome friendship. This book is perfect as it is and doesn’t need a sequel, but I would really like to read about them in college on spring break. (I’m just saying.)